Lifting tips aren’t for everyone, study finds

Commonly accepted advice for keeping your back straight and squatting while lifting to avoid back pain has been called into question by new research from Curtin University.

Research looked at people who had regularly performed manual lifting exercises as part of their job for more than five years and found that those with lower back pain were more likely to use the recommended technique of squat down and keep their back straight, while those without back pain tend not to follow the recommended lifting tips.

Lead researcher Ph.D. Candidate Nic Saraceni of the Curtin School of Allied Health said the study asked participants to each perform 100 lifts using two boxes of different weights, with researchers observing and measuring their action.

“We found that people with low back pain were more likely to lift with a slower lower back, less flexion and a more squat-like technique,” ​​Mr. Saraceni said.

“While both groups lifted using a more comparable technique at the end of the 100 lifts, the LBP group consistently showed a tendency to perform a slower, more squat lift throughout the task.

“These results are the opposite of what should happen based on existing advice on correct lifting techniques.”

Research Director John Curtin, Distinguished Professor Peter O’Sullivan, also of the Curtin School of Allied Health, said that although the study did not reveal why people with low back pain lifted with a more similar action at a squat, the results were consistent with previous research. show people with low back pain a facelift in a way that society perceives to be correct or “protective” of them.

“It is likely that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to preventing and managing lower back pain associated with lifting, but a more individualized approach may be needed, which could be the subject of future research,” said Professor O’Sullivan. .

“Common assumptions that people who experience low back pain while lifting do so in an ‘incorrect’ manner have not been supported by our research and this raises questions about current advice regarding ‘lifting. safely “.

The article, “Exploring lumbar and lower limb kinematics and kinetics for evidence that lifting technique isassocia with LBP”, was published in the journal PLOS ONE.